The community of Lake Lucerne is situated in Bainbridge Township (Geauga County, Ohio) and uses the Chagrin Falls post office for our addresses.

Bainbridge Township

Bainbridge Township’s history starts with the McConoughey family’s trek from Blandford, Massachusetts, in 1811, six years before the township was founded. After their 600-mile trip, they arrived to become the first residents of Bainbridge. Their cabin in the southeast corner of Bainbridge marked the beginning of the township. Other families followed them in turn, and Bainbridge grew into a sparsely populated farming community.

Bainbridge’s first road was created from an old American Indian trail which was widened, creating a gravel lane named Chillicothe Road. This made the area much more accessible to the pioneers of the day. By 1817 the township's population was 72, and the township’s government was established. Bainbridge was named after a popular naval hero of the war of 1812, Commodore William Bainbridge. He commanded the USS Constitution, better known as “Old Ironsides.”

One of the first housing subdivisions in the township came in 1922 with the start of Lake Lucerne. A land company bought 250 acres and created a 25-acre lake. It was built as a summer-home colony, but from 1928 on, it became a year-round community. Other subdivisions followed and in the mid-1960’s, Tanglewood Shopping Center was built and the township began the contemporary growth to the community we know today.

Chagrin Falls

Located just to our north and west a few miles, the Village of Chagrin Falls is one of the most charming towns in America. Chagrin Falls was incorporated as a Village in 1844. What began as a settlement of craftsmen from Massachusetts had grown to a commercial center with 9 separate mills, powered by the Chagrin River.

Today, Chagrin Falls residents enjoy a walkable and architecturally intriguing historic village with a natural waterfall and dam located in the center of town.  The village lifestyle that define Chagrin Falls is a source of community pride and a draw to visitors from around the world.